This new theory, from Kevin Kelly at The Technium,  holds that "a creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson,
performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans
to make a living."

This is the direct result of the paradigm that content wants to be free. Creators of content are no longer supported by large corporations with PR and Sales machines to back up the product launch. So artists, musicians and writers will need to fill that gap themselves..and will need to play dual roles, first as the creator, then as the promoter. These are distinctly different skill sets, not necessarily inherent in an artist's repertoire, but they sure as hell better be, going forward.

My artist husband Campbell Laird (http://www.campbelllairdstudio.com/#/home/) has actually managed to do just this. Through his own paid advertisements and collector "fan" base whom he contacts through newsletters, and now Facebook and Twitter, he has removed the gallery from the financial equation and has over 1000 True Fans.

The benefits are numerous..control over his career and direct contact with his collectors.

But his "work" has doubled, to include promotion, outreach and of course all finance issues.

He has managed to juggle these very diverse skills but it is not easy. And although it sounds like fun to have all this power, it is certainly not for the faint of heart.

But one thing's for sure, it wasn't even possible 10 years ago, so carpe diem!

http://bit.ly/cHNwc